Nov 18th Press Review
GUL TELLS EU NOT TO BUILD A NEW BERLIN WALL
President Abdullah Gul yesterday welcomed his Italian counterpart Giorgio Napolitano to Ankara with an official ceremony at the Cankaya Presidential Palace. The welcoming ceremony was also attended by Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz. Speaking at a joint press conference after meeting with Napolitano, Gul called on the European Union to keep its membership promises to Turkey. Urging EU leaders to honor their decision nearly five years ago to open Turkey's full membership negotiations, Gul said, "There is no legal basis for creating problems out of the blue now. Europe destroyed the Berlin Wall 20 years ago. Will it now build new Berlin Walls? This is a clear lack of vision." Stating that the 2004 decision to start membership talks was "no joke," Gul said, "After lengthy debate, there was a unanimous decision to open the talks. Honoring promises is a main principle of law, and it is binding on all." Saying Turkey's eventual accession into the EU would bring "added value" to the 27-nation bloc, Napolitano echoed Gul by stressing pacta sunt servanda, a principle of international law meaning that agreements must be kept. "In the past, many people either said yes or no, thus declaring their positions," he added. "After years of debate, we should accept that the 2004 decision was a deserved one. We cannot see it as superficial. From now on, we should embrace the principle of pacta sunt servanda and pursue it." French and German leaders have stated their opposition to Turkish membership, calling instead for a "privileged partnership," a formula Turkey categorically rejects. Touching on Turkey's economic and trade ties with Italy, Gul said their bilateral trade volume totals €13 billion, making Italy Turkey's third-largest trading partner after Russia and Germany. He said nearly 700 Italian companies operate in Turkey, and firms from both countries are working on major joint projects. Gul said there is ever-increasing cooperation between the two countries in the area of energy, adding that both countries place great importance on strengthening this. Napolitano yesterday also held talks in Parliament and met with Sahin, and attended a dinner hosted by Gul in his honor at the Presidential Palace. /Today's Zaman-Turkiye/
PM ERDOGAN CALLS ON WORLD LEADERS TO SUPPORT SMALL FARMERS
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday urged governments around the world to prioritize supporting small-scale agriculture in developing nations. Speaking in Rome at the World Summit on Food Security, organized by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Erdogan stressed the problems faced by farmers in developing countries during the global economic crisis. Erdogan spoke about the negative impact the crisis has had on global hunger and stressed that the crisis is not the only problem that farmers are trying to yields, water shortages, the rising frequency of droughts, and a lack of investment in agriculture still have not been solved, adding that such problems are being compounded by the economic crisis. "Official development assistance and emergency assistance from developed countries to less-developed countries is expected to fall due to the crisis," he said, adding that this would exacerbate the agricultural problems facing the developing world. Emphasizing the importance of supporting small farmers in solving global food issues, the premier said, "Giving priority to small farmers in agricultural support and facilitating their access to production inputs will be quite beneficial in solving this problem." Erdogan also pointed to the role of global consumption patterns in current economic and agricultural crises. "The imbalance between countries, regions and continents, wasteful and near-unlimited consumption, and the voracious chasing of profits have all led to the economic crisis we find ourselves in," he said. "We can see the horrifying state of destitute countries and also see the endless consumption of rich ones. We know that this imbalance isn't sustainable, and it is vital that we close this gap." /Today's Zaman/
ISTANBUL NUCLEAR CENTER COULD STORE IRANIAN URANIUM
As debate and diplomatic negotiations over the prospect of Turkey storing Iranian uranium continues, the most likely storage site in Istanbul has been identified. The Cekmece Nuclear Research and Training Center (CNAEM), affiliated with the Turkish Atomic Agency (TAEK), has been designated as the storage site if Iran agrees to the proposal. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in a statement on Sunday that Turkey has proposed a new formula for overcoming the problem, but offered no details. Testifying on the budget yesterday, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz said, "Although there's nothing on paper yet, CNAEM has the qualifications for the job. There's no risk or danger in this." /Hurriyet Daily News/
STUDY: "CULTURE COLORS EU PERCEPTIONS OF TURKS"
Cultural factors are among the main elements influencing European perceptions of Turks, according a new study conducted by a prominent Istanbul university. The research, made public this week by Bosporus University's European Studies Center, also showed that younger Europeans are more supportive of Turkey's entry to the European Union than older ones. The study is based on a poll of 5,000 people in Germany, France, Britain, Spain and Poland from this August to September. The poll's most striking discovery is the contrast in Europeans' outlooks towards Turkey compared to other candidate countries. Democracy, human rights, economic development and welfare are the main criteria the five EU countries identify with. The respondents also said that in general, the two most important criteria for a candidate country joining the EU should be its performance on democracy and human rights and its contribution to Europe's overall welfare. Yet when it comes to Turkey's EU prospects, only 26.8 percent of those polled said economic factors are important, while 40.4 percent said cultural factors are the main element influencing their opinion. This trend was especially true in France. The results of the survey indicate the need for outreach to dispel misperceptions of Turks and Turkish culture among Europeans. Due to this need, Turkey's Secretariat-General for European Affairs has recently begun working on a major promotional campaign towards the European public. /Hurriyet Daily News/
